Sharon-leaf of Sharon

This moth belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the family Noctuidae in the class Insecta. It is a large species with a wing span of about 80 mm. The forewings are reddish brown with a pointed tip, from which a dark brown transverse line curves inward and runs to the rear corner. There is a long tuft of hair on the inner edge of the hindwing, and the base of the wing is black with a blue band within it, while the outer half is red. It is widely distributed from mainland Japan, Tsushima, Yakushima, and the Ryukyu Islands to China and Southeast Asia. The larvae parasitize broadleaf trees such as Sawtooth Oak, Quercus serrata, and chestnut. They have an oval-shaped black pattern on the back of the fifth abdominal segment. They hide in tree trunks during the day and come out at night to feed on leaves.

[Hiroshi Inoue]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱鱗翅(りんし)目ヤガ科に属するガ。はねの開張80ミリ内外の大形種。前翅は赤褐色で翅頂はとがり、そこから内方に湾曲する暗褐色の横線が後角に走る。後翅内縁には長い毛束があり、はねの基半は黒く、その中に青色の帯があり、外半は赤色。日本本土、対馬(つしま)、屋久(やく)島、南西諸島から、中国、東南アジアに広く分布する。幼虫はクヌギ、コナラ、クリなどの広葉樹に寄生する。腹部第五節背面に楕円(だえん)形の黒色紋をもつ。昼間は樹幹に潜み、夜間に出て葉を食べる。

［井上　寛］

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